super yum with julie.....: Drago Centro and Syrup

This year for my birthday, I didn't want to do anything too extravagant and over the top. I had mixed feelings about this year... celebrating 26 years on this Earth after all... I know 26 isn't a high number, and I have so much to look forward to, but nonetheless.. I got some of the birthday blues. So after a bit of convincing I decided to DO IT UP! At the end of this month, I will be having a co-celebration with my dear friend Chef ChaCha and our very good friends will be joining us. On the day of my birthday, 2 of my friends, David and Cruz, wanted to take me out to Bottega Louie in DTLA. I was extremely excited!!! I had never been to Bottega Louie and had been dying to go. We got there about 9pm and there was an hour and a half wait. I would have stayed and waited, but at that point I was going to pass out from starvation (not exactly the type of attention I wanted on my birthday). So after some quick thinking and yelping, Cruz suggested Drago Centro, an upscale Italian restaurant. The service was friendly and prompt but the food... to die for. I had THE BEST pasta experience I have EVER had. It was one of those foodie moments that you think about days after you leave the restaurant. Its been weeks now, I am still think fondly of my experience at Drago Centro. Even though it's a pricey joint, it was worth every pretty penny. In case you want to check it out: Drago Centro

l’insalata di farro: farro, chick peas, olives, pancetta, champagne vinaigrette. This is NOT what I expected when I ordered this salad. I was expecting a regular salad with mixed greens as one of the main components, but this was a great surprise and I enjoyed every tasty morsel! I loved the crispy pancetta placed on top!

il salmone: salmon, crispy polenta, asparagus, peas, salsif. The salmon had a great sear and tasted great! I loved the crispy polenta that is wrapped up!

la bistecca: new york steak, rapini, pomme delphine, saltimbocca sauce. A favorite at the table a well!

THE REASON I fell in love with Drago Centro. gli spaghetto allo scoglio: made with hard durum spaghetti, seafood ragout, spicy tomato, herbs. THE BEST PASTA I HAVE EVER EATEN!! In house made pasta was amazing! The pasta had a great chew or bite to it, the sauce has amazing depth of flavor and seafood was cooked to perfection! Just blogging about it makes me want to go back! Yes, it was that damn good!

After dining at Drago Centro we ventured over to Syrup Desserts. It was a great way to end the night and the atmosphere was very relax and you could tell they wanted people to stick around. This bi-level dessert shop had a variety of board games tucked on a shelf for patrons to enjoy.